In the construction and operation of greenhouses, swimming pools, and similar structures, it is often necessary at times to provide a completely glazed cover or roof for maximum solar heating and maximum growing conditions (in the case of the greenhouse). At other times, however, it is often desirable to open the interior of the greenhouse to either direct sunlight or natural weather conditions. In the past, roof and cover frames have been provided with glazed vents which move away from the frames to allow the flow of air through the structure when desirable. In other words, the structure has been provided with a rigid, non-removable framework to which the vents were hingedly attached. Although these structures have been provided with sawtooth construction and served their purpose after a fashion, there was a considerable problem in some climates with snow loading. Furthermore, they did not readily drain from the valleys between the peaks. In addition, they were subject to damage, while the replacement of damaged or broken panels was a difficult and expensive matter. Furthermore, the structures have been basically expensive in their initial construction. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a cover construction which permits multi-functional operation.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a construction for a greenhouse roof or the like in which glazed panels can be hinged to open position or can be entirely removed.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of cover or roof construction which is capable of extensive snow loading without damage and which drains very well.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a roof structure which is simple in construction, which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of maintenance.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a construction for a greenhouse roof and the like, wherein the glazed area is maximized and the benefits of solar heating are obtained in addition to heating by conventional heating sources.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a clear-span cover construction which is light in weight and which provides a maximum length of bridging without the use of intervening permanent beams and supports.
A further object of the invention is the provision of a greenhouse in which, because of the rectangular side wall construction and the rectangular base plan, the side walls can be as high as needed to make the structure accessible to motorized equipment or to adapt it to any intended use.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.